[kictanet] My Take: Affordable computers

[Gakuru Alex]

Bill,

I have a problem with generic 'demonising' of all second-hand/used computers.

My question is? when you sold your last "as-good as new" computer or
device did you then not commit the grave e-dumping crime as defined by
some here?

If all are reading this and *all* their past emails ever from brand
new computing devices they are excused.

Would the "short version" of the problem solution be that *everyone*
supports large, rich, local or foreign computer vendors to grow their
enterprises because they are "environmental friendly" - all else
notwithstanding? Just a question....

Alex


On Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 11:26 AM, Bildad Kagai<billkagai at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On Aug 28, 2009, at 8:12 AM, Victor Gathara wrote:
>
>  I am thinking here of donations of used computers that can
> make their way into the country through a regulated and monitored
> channel (such as ComputerAid) who will also have responsibility to
> ensure EOL disposal according to WEEE standards to prevent dumping of
> electronic waste.
>
> Victor,
> In your position, you know very well that these second had computers are not donations. You can ask Tony Roberts how much he is paid to dispose a computer from Barclays in UK, that eventually finds its way to a school in Mau. And the Mau school pays for shipping and other costs....but besides all these politics......DFID
> might consider to fund a specific study comparing the final 'landed' cost of
> a dumped computer versus a 'clone' assembled with new parts at Crescent
> Technologies or JKUAT taking into consideration the kazi kwa vijana
> created....if it has not been done already. PS. I am speaking as a
> 'contributor' to this mess here, because I also have problems disposing my
> old computers and printers in the office. Most of the times, its easier to
> take them to a school in shags that cannot afford the electricity bills of
> running them...and... just live with the guilt like everyone else despite
> being labeled as The Hero who brought us computers.
> One reason IBM sold its hardware unit was because Moores Law states over
> time, the cost of hardware approaches zero and the cost of power consumption
> and capacity of the hardware doubles every 18 months.  Thus, bringing 5 year
> old computers to Kenya only drains too much power when we should strive to
> bring consumption per watt down. At least, just based on power consumption
> alone, dumped computer should never see the 'light of day' at the Kenyan
> port if locally assembled computers will consume half of the wattage
> today....especially now when everyone is striving to go green.
> http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000868.html
> Google, for example, has watched its energy consumption almost double during
> the past three generations of upgrades to its sprawling computing
> infrastructure. It recently unveiled a major new datacenter site in a remote
> part of Oregon, where power costs are a fraction of those at Google's home
> base in Silicon Valley. But cheap power may not be enough. Last year, Google
> engineer Luiz Andr� Barroso predicted that energy costs would dwarf
> equipment costs -- "possibly by a large margin" -- if power-hungry
> datacenters didn't mend their ways. Barroso went on to warn that
> datacenters' growing appetite for power "could have serious consequences for
> the overall affordability of computing, not to mention the overall health of
> the planet."
>